Doctors call on govt to restore Medicare items for phone-only telehealth consults
The cuts have hit vulnerable patients the hardest, says RACP president Dr Jacqueline Small.
Doctors want dozens of phone-based Medicare items reinstated in next month’s federal budget, saying “short-sighted” cuts have harmed vulnerable patients.
In July last year, physicians lost access to more than 70 MBS items that had been introduced in response to COVID-19.
These included 33 out-of-hospital and 40 inpatient attendance items, most notably those for initial specialist attendances over the phone.
Phone items for follow-up attendances were retained, as were video items for initial outpatient consults.
